Expression of some stress-responsive genes in tomato plants treated with ABA and sulfonamide compounds. Leila Zeinali Yedegari1 and Nayer Mohammadkhani2*

Drought causes an increase in some gene expression in plant tissues such as plasma membrane intrinsic proteins type 1 (PIP1), 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) SlAREB1. The effects of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) and two sulfonamide compounds, namely, sulfacetamide (Sa) and sulfasalazine (SS) were studied on gene expression of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Cv. Super chief) under drought stress. We extracted these three genes from Lycopersicon esculantum Mill. Cv. Super chief leaves treated with ABA, sulfacetamide (Sa) and sulfasalazine (SS) after 24 h and 144 h of drought conditions. All treatments caused an increase in LePIP1, LeNCED1, and SlAREB1 genes expression under drought stress, leading to maintenance of the life potential of tomato plants under water deficit. It seems that these genes help the tomato plants to live under drought conditions.